Fact: Baptism Costs 7,000 Drams, Marriage Ceremony Costs 21,000 Drams

The "Fact" newspaper reports that several citizens have recently approached them indicating that the cost of obtaining a marriage certificate at churches operating in various regions of Armenia and in the capital ranges from 3,000 to 5,000 drams. However, there are dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church where the cost of the certificate reaches up to 20,000-25,000 drams.

For instance, according to one of the people who contacted us, in the Shirak diocese, it costs 21,000 drams. People are curious about why such a significant price difference exists and whether there are clear regulations regarding it.

Our sources within the Armenian Apostolic Church informed us that each diocese determines the cost of its services independently. To get clarifications regarding this issue, we contacted Father Vahram Melikyan, the director of the information system of the Mother Cathedral of Saint Etchmiadzin, but he directed us to the Shirak diocese to clarify why such a price has been set.

The Shirak diocese responded to "Fact": "This is not at all for receiving a marriage certificate; it is called ‘light fee’, which will naturally vary across different dioceses, as the price is determined by the diocesan administrative body under the leadership of the bishop. Baptism is 7,000 drams and marriage is 21,000 drams, based on the logic that when a person is baptized, they give ten percent of their income to the church, as the church is not asking for a tithe from anyone right now. This means it’s a symbolic amount, set at ten percent of the minimum wage as a light fee that a person should give to the church.

In the same vein, the marriage ceremony is structured so that a person, before getting married, will host a wedding and also contribute a portion to the church. This amount is not for the certificate, but for fulfilling a certain obligation to the church."

For more details, refer to today’s issue of the newspaper.